Blackhawks get blanked by Red Wings in first game without Bedard

On a night where the Chicago Blackhawks honored a chapter of its storied history, it was only fitting that a couple of ex-Blackhawks terrorized them on the ice. Alex DeBrincat netted a pair of goals, while Patrick Kane scored his 498th career goal to lead the visiting Detroit Red Wings to a 4-0 win.

Tonight was the first game without Connor Bedard for the foreseeable future. One player is not going to replace his production; it will have to be done by everyone stepping up. They didn’t play a horrible game; there just weren’t enough high-danger chances. For the second straight night, they played a struggling goaltender and let him off the hook with very few second and third opportunities. It was a lot of perimeter play with one-and-done possessions. That needed to get better before Bedard got hurt, and now it’s crucial that it improves, and fast!

“When you get scored on right away, it’s a gut punch,” head coach Jeff Blashill said. “You go through the two periods where we didn’t give up many chances. We didn’t give up much at all in the second until the last five minutes. I thought we had chances in the first that we didn’t convert, and they converted. And then we’re chasing it and trying to score.

I was really proud of our guys in the third. What I’m looking for is guys with great heart and great compete. They showed that in the third. It’s a hard league, and you just keep grinding.”

Nick Lardis Makes a Good First Impression

Blackhawks fans had been waiting with bated breath to see Nick Lardis get to Chicago. With every goal he scored for the Rockford IceHogs, the demand went up. For him to get called up, there needed to be an opening in the top six. Unfortunately, that opening came in the form of Connor Bedard’s injury. This certainly is not the way anyone wanted Lardis to make his NHL debut, but that’s the way hockey is at times.

Lardis started his NHL career on a line with fellow rookies Ryan Greene and Oliver Moore. He and Moore definitely looked comfortable together after building some chemistry by beginning the season on the same line in Rockford. The trio was noticeable early, with some extended time in the offensive zone. They trailed off as the game went on and finished with a 27.27 Corsi for percentage (CF%), the only line to finish below 50%,

Individually, Lardis was credited with two shots on goal, eight shot attempts, and two scoring chances. He got nearly five minutes of power-play time with the top unit and looked to set up shop below the right circle. The most surprising stat in his NHL debut was dishing out five hits. He never looked nervous or out of place on the ice, which is an encouraging sign.

Frank Nazar Moves Up in the Lineup

With the injury to Bedard, the Blackhawks were without a top-line center. Blashill slid Frank Nazar up into that role, in between Tyler Bertuzzi and Andre Burakovsky. Despite not scoring a goal in his last 19 games, he has been effective of late. He needed a few games to get back to full strength after his injury, but he’s been creating more chances the past few games.

Nazar’s night got off to a rough start as his line gave up a goal on the game’s first shift. Both he and Burakovsky let DeBrincat have a free pass to the front of the net for an easy goal.

The new top line had a 73.08 CF%, the highest on the team, with a 19-7 shot attempt advantage. They led 9-4 in scoring chances, producing a pair of high-danger looks. However, they could convert, while the Red Wings potted two goals against them.

Nazar finished a minus-3 with three shots on five shot attempts. On the plus side, he won six of his 10 faceoffs, as the Blackhawks had a 64% success rate at the dot.

Nuggets & Tidbits

• Lardis wasn’t the only player making his team debut tonight. Dominic Toninato drew in after being a healthy scratch for the first two games following his recall from Rockford. Tonight was his 190th career NHL game, so there was no rookie lap ahead of the game. He’s been a key veteran contributor for the IceHogs this season with five goals and 17 points in 24 games.  He played 10:15 on the fourth line with Colton Dach and Ryan Donato. He had one shot on goal and a team-high six hits, while going 4-for-8 on his draws.

• Bertuzzi and Donato are two veterans who must up their games with Bedard out of action. They both have had 30-goal seasons in the NHL, with Donato’s coming last year. Tonight was not a great start as they combined for zero shots on goal. That can’t happen.

• Got to give some credit to the penalty-kill unit, as they went a perfect 3-for-3. Their first two successful kills were in the first period and prevented the Red Wings from putting the game out of reach early. With Kane looking for his 500th career goal, it was a challenge to keep him in check, and they rose to the occasion. Only giving up three shots on goal in six minutes was an impressive feat. In the last 11 home games, the Blackhawks are 31-for-34 on the penalty kill for a 91.1% success rate.

• Tonight was the final game of “The Madhouse” chapter of the Blackhawks’ Centennial Season. Outside of the result, the night was perfect for someone like me who fell in love with the sport by going to games at the Chicago Stadium as a kid. The pregame ceremony included Pat Foley and Dale Tallon, the voices of my childhood. They also had Brian Noonan, Gary Suter, Jeremy Roenick, Bob Murray, and Chris Chelios come out in uniform, wearing the home whites from the Stadium days. To top it all off, Wayne Messmer sang the national anthem with Frank Pellico on the organ. Nicely done!